Photo: Female Jumping Spider, Thomas Shahan

When: Tuesday, October 25, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Member Ticket: $15
Non-member Ticket: $25

Celebrate the spooky this October and learn all about the spectacular, secret lives of spiders. These eight-legged critters may be a little creepy to some, but they also are fascinating animals with unique hunting strategies. A favorite snack of many birds, arachnids are a crucial part of the ecosystem. Dr. Stellwagen will discuss some of the scary and not-so-scary species that live in our region. You might be surprised by how clever, creative and, yes, even “cute,” spiders can be.

University of North Carolina faculty member Dr. Sarah Stellwagen is a Research Assistant Professor at University of North Carolina. She studies spiders and the sticky spider “glue” they use to make webs and capture prey. Dr. Stellwagen came to UNC Charlotte from Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her current research project, “Genetics and biomechanics of non-Newtonian prey capture glues across panarthropoda,” is funded by the National Science Foundation Division of Integrative and Organismal Systems. This semester Dr. Stellwagen also teaches a course in the biology of insects. Dr. Stellwagen has several pet tarantulas.